


Best Laid Plans

by purpleeyesandbowties



Category: EOS 10 (Podcast)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Secret Relationship, jane has good intentions but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-16 22:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5844301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purpleeyesandbowties/pseuds/purpleeyesandbowties
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn’t that Ryan was trying to keep his relationship with Akmazian a secret. Really.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best Laid Plans

**Author's Note:**

> for corvvi on tumblr! They requested fluff and a rymazian secret relationship. Now is a good time to note that in my head, Osolong is a super-polite, well-spoken, distractingly handsome guy with an unidentifiable yet beautiful accent. Also he might be a lizard version of Daveed Diggs. You know, whatever. (that headcanon curtesy of little-lion-ham on tumblr)

It wasn’t that Ryan was _trying_ to keep his relationship with Akmazian a secret. Really. It just…wasn’t something that came up often. Especially since Ryan had essentially banned Jane from asking him about his love life. For all the nagging and teasing Jane loved to pile on Ryan, she knew when to push it and when to let it go. Once Ryan had made it clear he was uncomfortable with all her talk about Osolong and Akmazian’s obvious interests in him, she let it go. Which was a relief.

And of course, just a few days after Jane finally bothering him about it, Ryan had to go and fall for Akmazian. Their relationship had happened somewhat haphazardly and quite unexpectedly. Akmazian had called Ryan in to follow a lead on the Alliance conspiracy. Things got a bit out of hand—Ryan had knocked some heads together, maybe did some emergency surgery on a certain outlaw, might have accidentally realized that outlaw meant a hell of a lot more to him than he had previously realized, and totally 100% kissed him in a rush of adrenaline and then immediately bolted. Akmazian might have staggered after him, kissed him back, and passed out from pain a moment later.

So.

It wasn’t quite a fairytale beginning to their relationship, but a relationship it was. And….Ryan liked it. He liked being with Akmazian, even if he did enjoy Gim-Jaah too much (and damn did that stuff leave behind some foul breath) and he was occasionally moody and clingy. But the pros easily outweighed the cons. Akmazian was thoughtful and funny, charismatic, affectionate. Whenever he smiled, Ryan’s heart did a funny little flip in response. He made Ryan truly happy.

The biggest downside to the whole thing was that Akmazian was still in hiding. Shortly after their first ‘date’ (eating food court take out in the cargo bay), Akmazian had brought it up. Looking uncharacteristically serious, he said, “Ryan, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Ryan straightened up from where he had been leaning against Akmazian’s side. “And here I thought this date was going pretty well,” he said, aiming for lighthearted and just missing.

Akmazian shook his head. “I mean…look, as far as the universe is concerned, I’ve still got the blood of thousands on my hands. I’m…not the kind of man you bring home to show off to the parents. I’m in hiding. I hardly leave this cargo bay, let alone the station. I can’t—it’s been a while since I’ve done this, but I’m pretty sure _this_ ,” he gestured at the dark, cold room around them, “isn’t an ideal date.”

“I’ve been to worse places for dates, trust me.”

Akmazian studied his hands, not answering. Something cold settled in Ryan’s stomach and he put a little distance between himself and Akmazian.

“Unless….you changed your mind. If you don’t want to be with me or whatever. That’s fine. We can just pretend this never happened. It’s no big deal.”

 Akmazian’s head snapped up, frowning. “What? No, that’s not what I meant. Of course I want to…” he stopped, looking embarrassed.

“What?”

“It’s dumb. Forget it.”

“No, what?”

“I want…to be a good boyfriend to you. You deserve that.”

“Oh.”

 Ryan didn’t know what to say to that. Slowly, he leaned against Akmazian again, resting his hand over Akmazian’s. Akmazian laced their fingers together, letting a comfortable silence fall between them. Eventually, Akmazian said, “So, we’re still together, then?”

“If you still want to be,” Ryan answered.

“No worries about that,” Akmazian said, and kissed him.

\--

A month passed, then a second. Ryan almost told his friends about him and Akmazian a dozen times, but he never ended up going through with it. He wasn’t exactly sure why. He knew all of his friends would be happy for him. Maybe it was a little bit because he knew Jane would gloat about it forever. Maybe it was mostly because he knew Jane would gloat forever.

\--

“So, we’re on for tonight, right?” Akmazian asked, lounging on Ryan’s bed one morning, playing with Ryan’s cat. In the past months, stranger-shy Morpheus had completely warmed up to Akmazian. At the moment, he was happily curled against his side. Ryan clicked his tongue at Morpheus, waggling his fingers. The cat obediently meandered over and received an ear scratch for his trouble. Ryan scoffed at Akmazian’s betrayed look.

“ _My_ cat,” Ryan reminded him.

“That _I_ rescued. I deserve some respect.”

“From a cat? Not very likely.”

Akmazian shrugged in defeat. “Tonight?” he asked again, bringing the conversation around again.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Seventh deck restaurant. You know the one? I managed to get us a private room, so you don’t have to be Robin Hood the whole time.”

Ryan checked his watch. “Oh, I’ve got to go. See you tonight. Try not to get caught leaving.”

“Have I ever, darlin’?” Akmazian said, beckoning Ryan over for a quick kiss goodbye.

\--

Ryan got to the clinic a few minutes before his shift started.  “Good morning, Jane,” he said, smiling at her. She handed him his charts for the day.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” she asked. “I’d ask if you finally got laid, but we both know better.”

Ryan gave her a bitch-face, but it was more amused than bitchy. He glanced at the schedule board.

“Hold on, I asked for tonight off.”

“Oh,” Jane said, going to erase his name from the call board. “Wait, why?” she asked suspiciously. “It’s not like you to have plans. I mean—no offence.”

“I _do_ take offence to that, actually. And I have plans. I’m having dinner w—I’m having dinner,” he said, catching himself.

“By yourself?” Jane asked.

“Yeah,” Ryan said, deciding to just roll with it. “I just needed a night off, you know?”

“Okay,” Jane said, drawing out the word. “If you say so. Sounds lonely, though.”

Ryan shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

\--

As soon as Ryan left the room, Jane sent a comm.

“Levi! Get ready to set _The Plan_ in action!”

“Which plan?” Levi asked.

“You know which plan! The one with Ryan and you-know-who! He’s going to dinner tonight. Alone.”

“Ooh! Excellent! I have been looking forward to this plan.”’

Jane grinned as she attended to her first patient. As much as Ryan insisted he was alright without her interference in his love life, she suspected he was lonely. And she knew exactly who to call.

\--

After his shift, Ryan dashed back to his room for a quick shower and change of clothes. He hummed to himself as he got ready, thinking about the night. He and Akmazian didn’t often have a chance to go on a real date, so he was really looking forward to tonight.

Through a couple favors and a decent chunk of money, Ryan had secured a private room for the evening at one of the nicer restaurants on EOS 10. No waiters in and out, no interruptions, and most importantly, no questions. (The owner probably thought he was planning something indecent, but in reality, Ryan was just looking forward to a quiet meal with his boyfriend without having to worry about him being recognized).

At the restaurant, he checked at the front.  

“Reservation for Robin?” he asked. The waiter fetched the owner. She gave Ryan a warm smile and shook his hand.

“Welcome, Doctor Dalias. I’ll show you to your table.”

She led him through the busy restaurant, weaving around a dozen tables. Past the kitchen, tucked in a back corner, she stopped in front of a set of double doors.

“Your companion arrived a few moments ago. The food will be in shortly, and then you’ll be free of interruptions for the rest of the evening.”

“Thank you,” Ryan said politely, masking his confusion. Akmazian wasn’t supposed to be here yet. In fact, he shouldn’t have checked in at the front at all. The owner had agreed to leave a back door open for Ryan’s guest. The owner gave him a knowing smile and left.

Ryan stepped into the dimly lit room, ready to ask Akmazian what was going on. But he stopped short, staring at the man seated at the table inside.

“Osolong? What are you doing here?”

Doctor Osolong stood, extending his hand towards Ryan.

“Good evening, Doctor Dalias,” he said in his warm, smooth voice. Ryan shook his hand uncertainly.

“Hi. What are you doing here?” he repeated.

Osolong smiled sheepishly. “Your friends—Nurse Johns and Arule Delatro Leviathan—thought you might be a touch lonely tonight, so they encouraged me to join you.”

“So they set us up,” Ryan said bluntly. Then, to himself, “of course they did.”

Osolong laughed, still holding Ryan’s hand in both of his own. “I suppose they did. I hope you do not mind?”

Ryan opened his mouth, at a loss for what to say. He did mind, very much in fact, but Osolong had been nothing but kind to him since they had met. And he looked so hopeful, waiting for Ryan’s reply. He was saved from answering by a knock on the door. A pair of waiters entered, carrying platters of food. Ryan allowed himself to be shunted into a chair across from Osolong, mind spinning through possible scenarios. If Akmazian was on time—which he usually was—Ryan had only a few minutes until everything went to shit.

“So,” Osolong said cordially, pulling Ryan from his anxious cycle of thoughts. “I know this isn’t exactly what you expected this evening.”

Ryan snorted quietly. Osolong continued, “Doctor Dalias, I know that you must be aware of my….attraction to you. I haven’t exactly been subtle in my endeavors.”

Ryan just stared at him blankly, barely registering the words. Osolong took this as a confirmation to continue. He reached across the table and took Ryan’s hand in his.

“It is my hope that this evening would be the start of a better relationship between the two of us.”

Ryan gently pried his hand away. He sighed. “Osolong. I’m flattered, I really am. And you’re a great guy. But I’m not—I don’t.”  

Osolong looked crestfallen. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

Ryan shook his head wordlessly. In the awkward silence that followed, Ryan heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching. He shoved back from the table, heading for the door. But he wasn’t quick enough. The door swung open and Akmazian sauntered in, hood already thrown off.

“Sorry I’m late, love,” he said, stepping forward to hug Ryan, not seeing the panic in Ryan’s face—or his guest—until it was too late.

 “You,” gasped Osolong, standing up suddenly. “You—you’re—”

Akmazian yanked his hood back over his head. He shot Ryan a look that boiled down to, “what the fuck and who the fuck?”

“This is Robin!” Ryan exclaimed desperately. He turned to Osolong, silently begging him to go along with it.

Akmazian smiled icily under the shadow of his hood. “That’s right. I’m Robin,” he said, wrapping an arm around Ryan’s waist. Everything about his body language said _back off_. Which normally might have annoyed Ryan but in this particular instance….he leaned into the half-hug and put his arm around Akmazian in return.

“Osolong, I’m afraid there’s been a…a misunderstanding. Ak—Robin is my boyfriend. I was supposed to meet him for dinner tonight.”

Osolong sat down slowly, cautiously watching the pair. “If you already have a boyfriend, then why did Nurse Johns set me up with you?”

Akmazian’s eyebrows shot up. “She _what_?” he muttered. “Wait, of _course_ she did.”

“Her and Levi,” Ryan muttered back. To Osolong, he said, “Jane didn’t know about….Robin and I. _No one_ knows.”

He put a special emphasis on the words.  _No one knows he’s on board,_ he carefully didn’t say. Osolong let out a long breath, standing once more. “Well. Perhaps it’s for the best that I leave.”

He was almost to the door when Ryan said, “I’m sorry.”

Osolong turned back, a forced smile on his face. “For what?”

“For tonight. For not being honest with you. For…well, for everything.”

“I’m sorry, too,” he said simply. His shoulders slumped slightly. “And…I won’t tell anyone. You secret is safe with me.”

To Ryan’s surprise, Akmazian spoke up. “Hold on. Osolong, right?”

He shook the doctor’s hand, pulling his hood off his head. “I’m Akmazian. Not Robin, as you might have already guessed. Sorry for the circumstances of our meeting. You seem like a decent fella. Why don’t you stay?”

Ryan’s head snapped to Akmazian. “Wait, what?”

 “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, Ryan. I’m livin’ my whole life in secret. It’d be a relief to have something that _isn’t_. Especially this. Out of all the secrets I keep, this is the one that’s killing me.”

Ryan blinked. “I didn’t know you felt like that,” he said, turning to face Akmazian fully.

Akmazian chuckled. “Darlin’, if I had my way, there’d be no creature left in the galaxy that didn’t know you were mine,” he said gently.

Ryan felt the last of his trepidation fade away. A little teasing from Jane was well worth it if he could get rid of that desperate-hopeful-pained look in Akmazian’s eye.

“Okay,” he said. “Me too. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

\--

So they didn’t tell every creature in the galaxy, but they did tell their friends. Ryan sent a comm out while Akmazian made an effort at small talk with Osolong. Doctor Urvidian was the first to show up. He took one look at Akmazian’s arm draped around Ryan and rolled his eyes.

“Took you fools long enough,” he muttered, and picked up a cold crab cake from the table.

Levi practically tackled Ryan in a hug when he saw them.

“I am so very happy for you,” he exclaimed. Akmazian explained that he and Ryan had been together for almost three months already. Levi slid off Ryan, frowning. “I am significantly less happy,” he noted. “Did you not trust me with this information, Doctor Dalias?”

“It’s not like we kept you out of the loop specifically. We didn’t tell anyone.”

“Why not? A relationship such as this is a thing to be celebrated. In my kingdom, such matches are…”

Ryan stopped listening to Levi’s long-winded explanation, suddenly distracted by Akmazian’s hand creeping lower and lower on his waist, until it was _definitely_ no longer on his waist. He nudged Akmazian, who gave him an innocent smile and settled his hand in Ryan’s back pocket.

When Levi finally ran out of words and wandered over to critique the food, Jane sidled up next to them. She crossed her arms, looking offended. Her frown weakened after only a moment, though.

“I was going to be mad at you for lying to me, but I’m just happy you got your head out your ass about it.”

She leaned in conspiratorially. “Ryan, does this mean that you’ll be okay if I go after Osolong again? I was totally holding back because I thought you liked him. But a broken heart is an opportunity not to be wasted! Rebound, Ryan, rebound!”

“I really don’t think he’s _heartbroken,_ Jane.”

Jane waved him off, already heading toward where Osolong sat in the corner.

\--

As much as Ryan enjoyed the impromptu party (and it really was a party, after Levi had gone into the restaurant proper to order more food and they had all squeezed around the table together—Ryan had ended up sitting mostly in Akmazian’s lap—but the food was good and the company was excellent, and so neither of them really minded), he was starting to get antsy. He’d started out the evening planning on sharing it only with his boyfriend. As most things in his life, it didn’t end up like he expected. Dinner with his friends was nice, but Ryan was starting to wish it was just him and Akmazian again. Urvidian must have noticed somewhere after the dessert course, because he ushered everyone out rather brusquely, citing work he, Jane, and Osolong needed to get back to.

The room emptied quickly, leaving Ryan and Akmazian in sudden silence. Ryan sighed in relief. He began to stretch, then realized he was still planted firmly in Akmazian’s lap. Blushing, he started to move off, mumbling how there was enough room now. Akmazian’s arms encircled him before he could get too far, tugging him back onto his lap.

“Stay. I like you here,” he said, his warm breath tickling Ryan’s neck. He shivered pleasantly and settled back, content.

“I’d call this night a success, eh?” Akmazian said quietly. “Even if it didn’t quite go according to plan.”

Ryan sighed happily, turning around to face Akmazian. His hands easily clasped themselves around Ryan’s lower back, holding him steady.

“Yeah, I think it was a success. Urvidian was right, though. It sure took us long enough to get here.”

“But we’re here now,” Akmazian pointed out.

“Hmm,” Ryan agreed. He smiled, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend gently. “Here we are.”

**Author's Note:**

> this skated dangerously close to ak/ry/oso a couple of times, which is a situation I might have to explore in the future. Anyway, I’m sadhipstercat on tumblr, always ready to accept ur rymazian prompts and mangle them horribly :) 
> 
> corvvi, i hope this was what you were looking for!!


End file.
